Friends reflect after Oneida County man dies in crash

A small central Wisconsin community is rallying together in the wake of tragedy. Friends and family in Minocqua are remembering 22-year-old Jeremy Ritchie.

When you say the name Jeremy Ritchie around Minocqua you'll get so many stories.

"Him and his family came in for fish fry and he pushed me to eat all of his food," remembered Audrianna Nelson.

Say the name, and you'll be flooded with so many memories and tales of good times you'll feel like you know him, even if you never met him.

"The last time I saw Jeremy he just sat and talked to me about how great having kids was," said long-time friend Brittney Woebbeking. "They're not the type of people you forget."

"He was the kind of person who would be friendly to everybody," added Rachel Avelallemant.

Ritchie died Tuesday after his propane truck was struck by another car. Two other women, Justine Ringberg, 22 of Bayfield and Raquel Nunez, 22 of New York also died. Authorities say wintry roads were to blame. But his closest friends say they don't want him to be remembered for that.

Instead,"his sense of humor, his smile and his laugh," said Avelallemant.

A former Rothschild policeman accused of breaking into a woman's home and having sex with her while pretending to be her boyfriend successfully completed a probation and a judge Monday reduced a felony to a misdemeanor, according to online Marathon County court records.

A former Rothschild policeman accused of breaking into a woman's home and having sex with her while pretending to be her boyfriend successfully completed a probation and a judge Monday reduced a felony to a misdemeanor, according to online Marathon County court records.